Panteleimon Orthodox Icon

Panteleimon Orthodox Icon is a hand-painted icon of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, the young Christian physician glorified for mercy, selfless care for the sick, and firm faithfulness to Christ. Orthodox Christians pray before Saint Panteleimon for health, healing, help during illness, support before surgery or treatment, strengthening of the soul, and preservation of hope in difficult circumstances.

In this icon Saint Panteleimon is shown waist-length, in a red garment with a blue sleeve, holding a medicine box and a fine medical instrument. The relief gilded background, large radiant halo, decorative border, and lower name inscription make the image solemn, clear, and easily recognizable. The icon is especially appropriate for a home where people pray for sick loved ones, a family iconostasis, a prayer room, a doctor’s office, a hospital chapel, or a church dedicated to healing and mercy.

This image is often chosen as a personal prayer icon for someone undergoing treatment, as a thanksgiving gift after recovery, and as a name-day icon for a man or boy named Panteleimon. It unites two important themes: the compassion of the physician and the steadfastness of the martyr. For that reason, the icon is not only connected with bodily health, but also with patience, mercy, and trust in God.

Features of the Presented Icon

Saint Panteleimon is shown with a youthful, calm, and attentive face. His gaze is directed toward the person praying before the icon. It is not severe or distant; it carries softness, compassion, and inner concentration. This matters greatly for an icon of the Healer, because people often stand before this image during illness, anxiety, waiting for treatment, or care for someone close to them.

The saint wears a red garment with deep folds and a blue sleeve. The red color recalls his martyrdom, while the blue tone adds calmness and depth to the composition. The garments are painted with a clear silhouette and a strong color contrast, so the figure remains readable even in smaller sizes such as 17×21 cm (6.7×8.3 in) and 20×24 cm (7.9×9.4 in).

In his hands Saint Panteleimon holds a medicine box and a fine medical instrument. These details immediately identify him as a physician and healer. The medicine box recalls his service to the sick and suffering, while the instrument emphasizes the concrete connection of the image with medical care. For this reason, the icon is especially close to people undergoing treatment, families praying for health, and those whose own vocation is connected with medicine.

The gilded background is decorated with relief ornament that surrounds the saint and frames the central image. The large radiant halo draws attention to Saint Panteleimon’s face and creates a sense of spiritual light. The lower inscription names the holy great martyr Panteleimon. The icon looks festive and richly made, yet the decoration does not overpower the prayerful center: the face, hands, medicine box, and instrument remain the main focus.

Iconography: Medicine Box, Instrument, and Martyrdom

Saint Panteleimon is traditionally depicted as a young physician. In his hands he often holds a medicine box and a medical instrument, signs of healing service, compassion, and care for those who suffer. These details distinguish the icon of Panteleimon from many other martyr icons and reveal its main prayerful meaning: help in sickness, treatment, bodily weakness, and fear.

The red garment is connected with his dignity as a martyr. Panteleimon was not only a physician, but also a confessor of Christ, for whom he accepted suffering. The icon therefore joins two spiritual layers: the mercy of a healer and the firmness of a martyr. Visually this is expressed through the youthful face, the medical attributes, the strong red garment, and the solemn gold background.

The gold halo and gilded space around the saint point to his glorification in the Church. In Orthodox icon painting, gold is not simply a decorative color. It signifies heavenly light and spiritual glory. In this icon, the gold especially highlights the figure of Saint Panteleimon, while the relief ornament gives the image a festive depth and the visible character of careful handwork.

Materials, Gilding, and Custom Options

The icon is painted on a solid linden wood board strengthened with oak splines. Linden wood is well suited for hand-painted icons because of its even structure and stable preparation for the ground. The oak splines reinforce the board and help it keep its shape during natural changes of humidity and temperature.

A natural chalk gesso ground is applied before painting. The image is painted in egg tempera, the traditional technique of Orthodox iconography. This technique allows the iconographer to convey the softness of the face, purity of line, depth of the red and blue tones, and the fine details of the garment, medicine box, halo, and inscriptions. Gold leaf is used for the background, halo, and ornamental frame. The relief gilded background makes the icon especially solemn and emphasizes the value of handmade work.

For an individual order, details may be discussed: size, degree of gilding, character of the relief ornament, intensity of the red garment, background design, inscriptions, color accents, and the general decorative solution. The icon may be painted in home sizes or in larger church and iconostasis formats. In larger sizes, the face, gold halo, medicine box, instrument, and complex background ornament become especially expressive.

Icon Characteristics

Full name	Hand-Painted Icon of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon
Saint	Saint Panteleimon the Healer
Iconographic type	Waist-length icon of the healer with medicine box and medical instrument
Feast day	August 9; July 27 according to the old calendar
Decorative features	Relief gilded background, large radiant halo, red garment, blue sleeve, medicine box, medical instrument, lower name inscription
Materials	Linden wood board, oak splines, chalk gesso, egg tempera, gold leaf
Available sizes	17×21 cm, 20×24 cm, 27×31 cm, 30×40 cm; larger church and iconostasis sizes by agreement

Choosing the Size

The 17×21 cm (6.7×8.3 in) size is suitable for a small prayer shelf, personal prayer corner, office, hospital room, or compact gift for someone who is ill. The 20×24 cm (7.9×9.4 in) size is a versatile home format: it remains convenient, while preserving the main details of the icon, including the face, halo, medicine box, and instrument.

The 27×31 cm (10.6×12.2 in) size makes the image more expressive and solemn. In this format, the garment, gold background, lower inscription, medicine box, and radiant halo are easier to read. The 30×40 cm (11.8×15.7 in) size is appropriate for a larger home iconostasis, prayer room, chapel, hospital church, or doctor’s office. Church and iconostasis sizes are chosen when the icon needs to be visible from a distance and harmonize with surrounding sacred images.

What People Pray for Before Saint Panteleimon

Before the icon of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, Orthodox Christians pray especially for health and healing. They turn to him in bodily illness, before surgery, during long treatment, in serious diagnosis, pain, fear, exhaustion, and despondency. Saint Panteleimon is especially close to those who experience illness not only as physical suffering, but also as a trial of faith, patience, and hope.

• for the healing of the sick and relief from suffering;
• for help before surgery, treatment, or an important medical decision;
• for doctors, nurses, and all medical workers;
• for peace of soul during illness;
• for the elderly, children, and the seriously ill;
• for patience, hope, and faith in a difficult period;
• in thanksgiving to God after recovery;
• for mercy and compassion toward those in need.

The icon is not a substitute for medical treatment and is not used as a talisman. Orthodox prayer before Saint Panteleimon is a prayer to God through the intercession of the holy healer. Prayer for health should be joined with responsible care for the body, medical help, gratitude, and trust in God.

Who This Icon Is For

The icon of Saint Panteleimon the Healer is especially suitable for people undergoing treatment, recovering after illness, or praying for the health of loved ones. It is often chosen for homes with sick relatives, hospital rooms, medical offices, chapels, and hospital churches. The image helps a person gather the heart in prayer, avoid despair, and ask God for help in bodily and spiritual distress.

As a name icon, it is suitable for men and boys named Panteleimon. It may be given for baptism, name day, birthday, or another important occasion. The icon is also often given to doctors, medical workers, medical students, and people whose service is connected with the care of the sick.

For a church or chapel, the icon may be painted in a larger size, in an iconostasis format, or as part of a row of holy healers and unmercenary physicians. For an individual order, the format and decorative design may be adapted to the place where the icon will stand, the lighting, the church interior, and neighboring icons.

Feast Day and Life of Saint Panteleimon

The feast day of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is celebrated on August 9, corresponding to July 27 according to the old calendar. This date is often considered when choosing a name-day icon, a gift for a physician, a thanksgiving icon after recovery, or an icon for home prayer for health.

Saint Panteleimon lived in Nicomedia at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth century. He was raised in a family where the Christian faith was connected especially with his mother, and he learned the art of medicine from well-known teachers of his time. After meeting the Christian priest Hermolaus, he believed in Christ and began to understand medical service not as a path to fame or wealth, but as a work of mercy.

Saint Panteleimon is especially venerated because he helped the sick without payment. For this reason, he is honored not only as a healer but also as an unmercenary saint. His medical care was joined with prayer and faith in Christ, and the healings associated with him testified to the action of God’s grace. During the persecution of Christians, he openly confessed his faith and accepted martyrdom. The Church glorifies him as a great martyr and healer, and Orthodox Christians have turned to him for centuries in illness, medical service, and patient endurance of life’s trials.

Blessing and Care of the Icon

At the customer’s wish, the icon of Saint Panteleimon may be blessed in church before delivery, or it may be blessed after receiving it in one’s own parish. The blessing helps the icon be received not as a decorative picture, but as a sacred image for prayer for health, thanksgiving to God, and appeal to Him through the intercession of the holy great martyr and healer.

A hand-painted icon should be cared for gently. Dust should be removed with a dry soft brush or a dry cloth without pressure. The icon should not be wiped with a wet cloth or placed in direct sunlight, near a radiator, humidifier, or source of sharp temperature changes. Particular care should be taken with the gilded background, relief ornament, halo, inscriptions, and painted surface.

Free international shipping is included. Payment is made after you receive and approve the icon.

Questions and Answers

Who is shown on the Panteleimon Orthodox Icon?

The icon shows the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, a young Christian physician venerated as a helper of the sick and a patron of medical service.

Why is Saint Panteleimon called the Healer?

Saint Panteleimon was a physician who helped the sick without seeking payment, joining care for the suffering with prayer and faith in Christ.

What do people pray for before Saint Panteleimon?

People pray for healing, help in illness, support before surgery or treatment, relief from pain, strength of soul, help for doctors, and mercy toward the sick.

Who is this icon suitable for?

It is suitable for the sick and their families, doctors, nurses, medical workers, medical students, and men or boys named Panteleimon.

When is the feast day of Saint Panteleimon?

The feast day of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is celebrated on August 9, or July 27 according to the old calendar.

What does the medicine box in his hands mean?

The medicine box points to Saint Panteleimon’s service as a physician, his care for the sick, and his selfless help to those who suffer.

What does the medical instrument signify?

The medical instrument emphasizes the connection of the icon with healing, medical service, and Saint Panteleimon’s intercession for the sick and for physicians.

What sizes are available?

Available sizes are 17×21 cm, 20×24 cm, 27×31 cm, and 30×40 cm. Larger church and iconostasis sizes may be discussed individually.

What materials are used for this icon?

The icon is painted on a linden wood board with oak splines, natural chalk gesso, mineral egg tempera, and gold leaf.

How should a hand-painted Panteleimon icon be cared for?

Keep the icon away from moisture, direct sunlight, and sharp temperature changes. Remove dust gently with a dry soft brush or cloth, especially on gilded and relief areas.